1 Field of Invention
This invention relates to deep fat fried, battered and breaded foodstuffs and to their method of preparation. More specifically, this invention relates to the production of deep fat fried, battered and breaded products which absorb/adsorb significantly less fat during cooking than conventional battered and breaded products. The method of the present invention has in its preferred form a series of process steps which are carried out without a drying step.
2. The Prior Art
Comestibles such as meat, fish, poultry and vegetables are commonly batter coated, breaded and then cooked by deep fat frying. In particular, foodstuffs are batter coated, breaded, par fried and then frozen. The frozen, par fried products are then reconstituted for consumption by either deep fat frying or oven baking. Alternately, the battered and breaded foodstuffs are frozen raw and reconstituted for consumption by deep fat frying. It is well known to form a film or barrier around such food products to lessen the penetration into such food products of frying fat or cooking oil. However, only modest reductions in absorbed/adsorbed cooking oil have been achieved. The following prior art is exemplary of such films or barriers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,504,502 (Earle) describes a process for preparing a food product made by applying an aqueous dispersion containing water soluble algin to the surface of a food substrate and applying a dry gelling mixture to the algin-coated food substrate for a period of time sufficient to form a substantially continuous edible film along the food product surface.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,877,626 and 5,057,329 (Stypula et al.), disclose a composition and process for preparing coatings for macerated meat compositions which reduces absorption or adsorption of cooking oil on storage and/or cooking. The barrier composition is composed of starch, methylcellulose and xanthan gum.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,575 (Saunders et al.), discloses a process of preparing frozen french fried potatoes using modified food starches, when prepared by microwave methods, have an improved crisp texture. The applications outlined by Saunders are surface treatment applications directed toward the improvement of texture and eating quality of microwave heated products, but not for the purposes of oil reduction.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,573 (Meyers) discloses the use of specific hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose food gums to inhibit the absorption of oil in batter coated fried foods. The oil barrier effect appears to be accomplished by mixing the synthetic food gum directly with a batter composition.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,876,102 (Feeney et al.) discloses the use of water absorbent cellulosic fibers, high in pectin, such as albedo fiber or juice sac fiber, to prepare improved fried potato products made from dehydrated potato dough. Feeney's invention is directed toward improved workability of potato dough, the improved texture and flavor of dough-based fried foods after frying and the retention of crispness of the products after microwave reheating.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,840 (Braisier et al.), discloses a method of producing reduced fat non-breaded, deep-fried comestibles such as french fries. The method applies to preparing french fries by coating with a mixture of a starch such as ungelatinized amylose (containing amylose and amylopectin) and calcium, blanching, dehydrating and par frying the coated comestible. The comestible thus treated can be frozen and stored or immediately finish fried. Disclosure is made of a calcium pectin/pectate reaction and its possible role in the reduction of oil. It is believed that in this disclosure the pectin/pectate is part of the raw potato tissue and is not added or enriched in pectin/pectate by a separate treatment step. Cited in the '840 patent is U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,840 which is stated to disclose the use of calcium added to potatoes to prevent blistering, with the additional claim that low amounts of calcium produces potatoes which are generally less oily than their blistered counterparts.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,829 (Chalupa et al.), discloses the use of gellan gum as a component of a batter composition or as a component of the breader composition and their use in reducing the amount of oil that is absorbed by foods coated with these materials. Disclosure is also made of the use of sodium and calcium salts as a component of the gellan-containing batter and the spray coating of bread crumbs with a solution of gellan containing sodium or calcium salts.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,721 (Polansky) discloses an improved method for drying foodstuffs which will minimize the uptake of the frying medium by using naturally occurring edible polymers chosen from the group consisting of proteins, carbohydrates and modified carbohydrates, drying the coating and frying the coated foodstuff.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,511,583 (Olson et al.), discloses the use of gelatin or certain starches and methods for preparing battered and breaded comestibles, e.g., fish, and fried food products prepared therefrom which exhibit reductions in cooking oil absorbed during frying. The coating can be dried prior to frying using forced hot air drying ovens.
Gerrish et al., European Publication 487,340 describes a procedure for frying potatoes, chicken, egg rolls and dough which requires pre-coating the food with a low molecular weight pectin, alginate and/or methylcellulose.
European Patent No. 048123 (Merck & Company, Inc.) discloses a gelled algin emulsion comprising 0.05 to 5.0 weight percent algin, 0.05 to 25 weight percent emulsifier, 0.05 to 20 weight percent oil or fat, and 0.001 to 0.5 weight percent of divalent or trivalent metal ions.
British Patent No. 1,079,628 (Dow Chemical Co.) discloses a process for preparing fried potato products where the whole potato pieces are blanched with an aqueous solution of a film forming synthetic or chemically modified natural hydrocolloid to form a thin coating of the hydrocolloid on the potato surface and then frying the potato.
Research Disclosure No. 18237, published Jun. 19, 1979, discloses a process for permitting the setting of batter in hot water. The batter, containing alginate, is coated onto a food product in the normal way and the product is then immersed in a hot aqueous solution of polyvalent metal salt such as calcium chloride. The high temperature sets the batter by gelatinizing the starch component and the batter is protected while it is setting, by the formation of an insoluble alginate skin or gel. This insoluble alginate skin or gel is formed by chemical reaction between the soluble alginate in the batter and the polyvalent metal salt in the setting bath. The coated product is then rinsed in cold water and dried.
In pending application serial number 08/003,769, filed Jan. 13, 1993, (inventors Timothy Gerrish and Lawrence Carosino), assigned to Hercules Incorporated, one of the assignees of the present invention, entitled low oil food composition and method, is disclosed a composition and method for preparing low oil fried potato foods. That application also relates to ASN 07/616,474, filed Nov. 21, 1990.
The Aqualon Company markets methylcellulose and methylhydroxypropyl cellulose as an ingredient for use in the preparation of matrix potato and meat products which absorb less oil during deep fat frying. Again, the oil barrier effect is accomplished by mixing the synthetic food gum directly with a batter or matrix food composition. No disclosure is made for the use of calcium reactive pectins in this application.
The James River Corporation markets a microcrystalline cellulose product which they disclose as a batter additive which impedes the absorption of oil during deep fat frying. Examples of fried donuts are given in their promotional literature. James River Corp. does not disclose the use of calcium reactive pectins in donut applications.
No prior art, of which the present inventors are aware, discloses the use of calcium reactive pectins used in combination with calcium as a method of reducing the oil absorption of deep fat fried, battered and breaded food or matrix food compositions.
Accordingly, the present invention has the feature of providing calcium reactive pectins used in combination with calcium as a method of reducing the oil absorption of deep fat fried, battered and breaded food, or matrix food compositions. All features of this invention are accomplished in the absence of a separate drying step of the pectin coating.
This invention also has the feature of providing a method of and compositions for reducing oil absorption of deep fat fried, battered and breaded food, or matrix food compositions.
This invention also has the feature of achieving a method of and compositions for reducing oil absorption of deep fat fried, battered and breaded food, or matrix food compositions which minimizes deep fat fryer disturbance.
This invention further provides a method of and compositions for reducing oil absorption of deep fat fried, battered and breaded food, or matrix food compositions which improves the texture of the food product.
This invention also provides a method of and compositions for reducing oil absorption of deep fat fried, battered and breaded food, or matrix food compositions in the preferred embodiment reduces the loss of batter/breading from the coated food product in the fryer, thereby increasing the useful life of fryer oil.
This invention has the feature of achieving a method of and compositions for reducing oil absorption of deep fat fried, battered and breaded food, or matrix food compositions which reduces the loss of batter/breading from the coated food product during frozen transport of the product.
This invention also has the feature of achieving a method of and compositions for reducing oil absorption of deep fat fried, battered and breaded food or matrix food compositions which maintains batter integrity such as adhesion properties of the batter during pre-frying, during frying and while steam cooking.